Agassi Wins Aussie Open in Straight Sets

It had been a year since
Andre Agassi had won a tournament of any kind. Now he has a
seventh Grand Slam title under his belt and is hungry for
more.

"I think if I really play my cards right, this can be the
start of an incredible year," Agassi said after winning the
Australian Open for the second year in a row, beating France's
Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

"It's been a year since I've won. I'll do my best not to
make it another year before I win again," he said.

Agassi was riddled with injuries last year, starting in
February when he took a month off after pulling out of a
tournament with a lower back strain. In July his car was
shunted from behind, giving him another back injury.

He took two months off after the U.S. Open, after his
mother and sister were diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It wasn't an easy year. The year before was so
incredible," he said, referring to 1999 when he won the French
and U.S. Opens and was runner-up at Wimbledon.

"It's almost impossible not to have a let down. My body
broke down a little bit and so did some personal things. They
took a toll on me," he said.

But now he's back.

Full of Confidence

Agassi was brimming with confidence when he came to
Melbourne Park two weeks ago, having won a warm-up exhibition
at Kooyong and feeling more rested than last year.

Unlike many of his big name rivals who were rusty at the
start of the new season, he knew he was in good shape.

"I was thinking coming into this event that it's one of the
first times being a defending champion feels less about
pressure and more about knowing that you can play well here,"
he said.

"I came into this tournament feeling like my game was very
solid. I was in a good position physically, then it did get
better each day."

Agassi looked like he could do no wrong. His game was in a
groove, and his wins seemed almost effortless.

On his way to the quarter-finals he did not drop a set, and
had a break in the fourth round when his opponent, German David
Prinosil, quit in the second set with heat exhaustion.

With 15 years of ups and downs behind him, he no longer had
to worry that he might trip himself up in a big match.

"Well I can say that I don't self-inflict and throw curves
[curve balls] at myself as much anymore," Agassi said.

"I'm certainly experienced at what keeps me at my best and
what puts me in a position to be at my best for the biggest
matches, and that's clearer now than it's ever been," he said.

In December after losing to world number one Gustavo
Kuerten in the final of the Masters Cup in Lisbon, Agassi was
already thinking about what he had to do to make it back to the
top of the heap in Melbourne.

Years Off Paid Off

Agassi got distracted four years ago, crashing out of the
top 10 to as low as 141 in the rankings. The tumble forced him
to claw his way back up the rankings through second-tier
events, when winning another grand slam was not even a
consideration.

Those down times have actually paid off, helping to prolong
Agassi's career at a time when his contemporaries, including
Australia's Pat Rafter, are contemplating retirement.

"I think you can always second guess what you're doing and
why you're doing it. But I've definitely come to not regret
those times."

"I think they've played a big part in my ability just to
now be healthy and to be determined, and I feel that sense of
hunger," Agassi said. "I think that has saved me for the long
term."

And now that he has won again he still expects to raise his
game another notch.

"I can always move better. I can always be more aggressive,
more consistent," Agassi said.